Mahatma Gandhi Statue Unveiled By David Cameron In London's Parliament Square
Look Who's Joined Mandela In Parliament Square
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The legacy of Mahatma Gandhi was celebrated with a prominent new statue of the Indian independence leader in Parliament Square in central London. Prime Minister David Cameron and Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday unveiled the statue as sitar music played and Indian flags were waved.
Cameron said Gandhi's nonviolent tactics remain as potent today as when Gandhi used them. He called Gandhi one of the most towering figures in the history of global politics. The sculpture created by Philip Jackson was inspired by a 1931 photo of Gandhi at the prime minister's residence at No. 10 Downing St.
The Prime Minister said: "This statue is a magnificent tribute to one of the most towering figures in the history of world politics and by putting Mahatma Gandhi in this famous square we are giving him an eternal home in our country. Many of his teachings remain as potent today as when he first made them.
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David Cameron attends the unveiling event of the new Gandhi Statue with actor Amitabh Bachchan (left) and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (right)
He added: "'The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others' and 'Be the change that you want to see in the world' remain timeless, profound and inspiring words of wisdom. This statue celebrates the incredibly special friendship between the world's oldest democracy and its largest, as well as the universal power of Gandhi's message."
Gandhi's grandson, the former governor of West Bengal, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who was also in attendance, said his family was pleased at "the fact of his statue taking its place right beside that of his political descendent Nelson Mandela".
He added: "How many countries celebrate the life work of a man who opposed it with vehemence for more than three decades? Not many. Britain does, and Britain celebrates Gandhi today because while oppose it he did, he opposed it in a cause that Britain now sees was just and in a way the world now sees was fair."
Here are five quotes from Gandhi to inspire your day:
Nobody can hurt me without my permission.
God has no religion.
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
What you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.
You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Gandhi Statue Unveiled
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Prime Minister David Cameron gives a speech during the unveiling of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, London. (credit:Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire)
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Actor Amitabh Bachchan, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Prime Minister David Cameron and Gandhi's grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi (second right) during the unveiling of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, London. (credit:Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire)
(03 of10)
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Prime Minister David Cameron salutes the new Mahatma Gandhi statute along actor Amitabh Bachchan (left), the Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (second left) and Gopalkrishna Gandhi (second right) which was unveiled in Parliament Square, London. (credit:Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire)
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A new statue of Mahatma Gandhi by British sculptor Philip Jackson stands on display after it was unveiled in Parliament Square, London, Saturday, March 14, 2015. (credit:Matt Dunham/AP)
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Prime Minister David Cameron attends the unveiling event of the new Mahatma Gandhi with actor Amitabh Bachchan (left) and the Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (right) in Parliament Square, London. (credit:Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire)
(06 of10)
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British Prime Minister David Cameron, centre and Gandhi's grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi shake hands beneath a new statue of Mahatma Gandhi by British sculptor Philip Jackson, after it was unveiled in Parliament Square, London, Saturday, March 14, 2015. (credit:Matt Dunham/AP)
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Prime Minister David Cameron gives a speech during the unveiling of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, London. (credit:Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire)
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Prime Minister David Cameron during the unveiling of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, London. (credit:Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire)
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Prime Minister David Cameron during the unveiling of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, London. (credit:Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire)
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People stand around a new statue of Mahatma Gandhi by British sculptor Philip Jackson after it was unveiled in Parliament Square, London, Saturday, March 14, 2015. (credit:Matt Dunham/AP)
Below are 10 Iconic Photos Of Mahatma Gandhi:
10 Iconic Photos Of Mahatma Gandhi
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Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi at a spinning wheel during a 'Charlea' demonstration in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, on 9 June 1925. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Mahatma Gandhi eating for the first time after his release from prison in India in 1930. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Mahatma Gandhi reading his correspondence whilst living in seclusion after being released from prison, on 20 May 1924. (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Mahatma Gandhi leading his followers on the famous salt march to break the English Salt Laws, on 27 March 1930. (NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Mahatma Gandhi on the steps of 10 Downing Street, 26 September 1931. Gandhi travelled to Britain in 1931 in order to attend the Second Round Table conference in London. Whilst in London, he visited the British Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, at his residence in 10 Downing Street. (Daily Herald Archive/SSPL/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Mahatma Gandhi is greeted by a crowd of female textile workers during a visit to Darwen, Lancashire, UK in 1931. (Keystone/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Mahatma Gandhi seen in the United Kingdom, in December 1932. (Planet News Archive/SSPL/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Mahatma Gandhi at the station at Marseille in France, in 1934. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Mahatma Gandhi receives a donation in a train compartment in 1940. (Dinodia Photos/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Jawaharlal Nehru (later India's first Prime Minister) and Mahatma Gandhi in conversation at a session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in Bombay, 8 August 1942. It was at this session that the Quit India Resolution was passed, calling for India's independence from British rule. (Archive Photos/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)